Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Bandar Seri Begawan - The long anticipated annual bonus arrived yesterday and as early as Sam a horde of eager government employees could be seen waiting for their turn at the ATM machines after the morning prayers.

However, the long queues during the normal working hours which have always been associated with the issue of proper working ethics in previous years were visibly thin.

When inquired by The Brunei Times into this unusual circumstance, a department head from a public service agency, who wishes to remain anonymous, said a lot of government departments did not allow their staff to leave the office during working hours unless it was important. In line with the TPOR or Client's charter, full service of the public must be attended to efficiently, including attending to personal reasons such as bonuses. According to her, the responsibility of working attendance lies in their own hands, so it is

compulsory to ensure that productivity is not undermined for personal reasons. She also reiterated that, government agencies have an hour break to fully utilise to withdraw their bonuses, so there is no room for work tardiness due to bonus withdrawals.

Hj Ismail Jumat, a civil servant, said that the reason why he only came after working hours was to ensure that working ethics set by the government were not disregarded . "We have a responsibility towards our work and our country, why rush during working hours?" he asked, adding that it is a nuisance and an embarrassment to partake in the withdrawals rush as before.

Another department section head from an enforcement agency, who also wishes to remain anonymous, insisted that withdrawals of bonuses must be done after working hours or during breaks to ensure productivity. "I do not allow them to attend to personal needs during working hours except when it could not be avoided. As a section head, I too withdraw only in the evenings to fully reiterate my point," he said.

When asked how he is going to spend his bonus, he said that it-will be spent on savings for his child's education. "I can wait at least one more day but as today is the deadline for international tuition fees enrolment, so I have to line up in order to fulfil my child's schooling needs overseas and locally," he said.

The bonus traditionally given in February was moved to December, following His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam titah, to increase spending power of parents for their children's school needs before the education year starts.

However, for Jibah Mohammad and Zura Yussin from the Ministry of Finance, both unmarried, this provides an opportunity of savings and only a percentage will go towards paying their credit card bills. According to Jibah, "Savings are crucial to ensure a sustainable future in case of any emergencies so I would rather save than spend although I will use this opportunity to clear out my credit card debts."

She added that maybe with all the current global turmoil around, a saving culture is currently in play where more of the younger professionals like herself will opt to either save or invest their bonuses. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times